| 1 | 1 | | 85R4979 AAF-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Blanco H.B. No. 3032 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the creation by the Texas Veterans Commission of a |
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| 8 | 8 | | veteran suicide prevention action plan. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 434, Government Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 434.024 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 434.024. VETERAN SUICIDE PREVENTION ACTION PLAN. (a) |
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| 13 | 13 | | The commission, in collaboration with the United States Department |
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| 14 | 14 | | of Veterans Affairs, veteran advocacy groups, medical providers, |
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| 15 | 15 | | and any other organization or interested party the commission |
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| 16 | 16 | | considers appropriate, shall develop a comprehensive action plan to |
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| 17 | 17 | | increase access to and availability of professional veteran health |
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| 18 | 18 | | services to prevent veteran suicides. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (b) The action plan must: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (1) identify opportunities for raising awareness of |
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| 21 | 21 | | and providing resources for veteran suicide prevention; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (2) identify opportunities to increase access to |
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| 23 | 23 | | veteran mental health services; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (3) identify funding resources to provide accessible, |
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| 25 | 25 | | affordable veteran mental health services; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (4) provide measures to expand public-private |
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| 27 | 27 | | partnerships to ensure access to quality, timely mental health |
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| 28 | 28 | | services; and |
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| 29 | 29 | | (5) provide for proactive outreach measures to reach |
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| 30 | 30 | | veterans needing care. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (c) The commission shall make specific short-term and |
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| 32 | 32 | | long-term statutory, administrative, and budget-related |
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| 33 | 33 | | recommendations to the legislature and the governor regarding the |
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| 34 | 34 | | policy initiatives and reforms necessary to implement the action |
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| 35 | 35 | | plan developed under this section. The short-term recommendations |
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| 36 | 36 | | must include a plan for state implementation beginning not later |
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| 37 | 37 | | than September 1, 2019. The initiatives and reforms in the |
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| 38 | 38 | | short-term plan must be fully implemented by September 1, 2021. The |
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| 39 | 39 | | long-term recommendations must include a plan for state |
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| 40 | 40 | | implementation beginning not later than September 1, 2021. The |
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| 41 | 41 | | initiatives and reforms in the long-term plan must be fully |
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| 42 | 42 | | implemented by September 1, 2027. |
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| 43 | 43 | | (d) The commission shall include in its strategic plan under |
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| 44 | 44 | | Chapter 2056 the plans for implementation of the short-term and |
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| 45 | 45 | | long-term recommendations under Subsection (c). |
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| 46 | 46 | | (e) This section expires September 1, 2027. |
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| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 48 | 48 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 49 | 49 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 50 | 50 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 51 | 51 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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